MONROE - Taylor Meir wanted to make the most of his first postseason start - that's why he did his homework to fine-tune his pitching mechanics to the plate.
The extra homework paid immediate dividends as Meir pitched a two-hit gem in combination with senior Lucas Neuenschwander to propel Monroe to a 9-0 win over Brodhead-Juda in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday.
"I tinkered with my mechanics and found something that clicked and I went from there," Meir said of his work before the game. "I just wanted to drive more towards the catcher instead of falling off towards third base."
With the win, Monroe (15-12) advances to play at No. 2 seed Beloit Turner at 4:45 p.m. today in a regional semifinal game.
Meir had everything clicking early on. He retired the first six batters he faced and nine of the first 10 hitters. The Cardinals didn't have their first base runner until the third when Skylar Stuckey reached on an error. The only hits for the Cardinals came on Brennan Bescup's single in the fourth and Blake Burns in the sixth.
"We decided to go with Taylor because he pitched very well the other two times against Brodhead," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "He has good enough stuff and his offspeed pitches are much different than his fastball to keep them off-balance. He was in command. He threw a one-hitter at Brodhead earlier this year. The stage was so much different. With this moment, it's probably his best game he has thrown this year."
Brodhead-Juda sophomore Matt Schmidt matched Meir in a pitching duel for two innings. The Cheesemakers got to Schmidt in the bottom of the third scoring three runs.
"In a playoff game, guys know it's win or go home," Huffman said. "You can tell when guys squeeze the bat a little harder and grip the ball harder. To get those three runs you can tell the guys started getting back to what we they had been doing all year."
Monroe senior Carter Adkins singled and stole second to set up the scoring opportunity in the third. Schmidt then walked Monroe senior Chase Hellenbrand. Junior Garrett Gogin followed with an RBI single to score Adkins. Senior teammate Sean Saxby drove in a run with an infield single to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead. Monroe sophomore Hogan Edwards delivered an RBI single down the third-base line to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 3-0.
"Matt did a nice job of keeping us in the game," Brodhead-Juda coach Brian Kammerer said. "He was throwing groundballs. That is what we wanted. We just didn't make the plays behind him and they extended the lead."
Monroe junior Jaron Kuester walked leading off the fourth and then stole second. Schmidt then walked Monroe junior Brent Edmunds. Hellenbrand came through with a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give the Cheesemakers a 5-0 lead. Hellenbrand reached base all four times he batted going 1-for-1 with two RBI, two walks, a hit by pitch, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Both Saxby and Edwards went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Gogin was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
"I feel like that was a big hit in that situation," Hellenbrand said. "I feel like I had to clutch up in that situation."
Schmidt pitched 3 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked four. The Cardinals also used Stuckey and Blake Burns as pitchers in relief. All three pitchers used by the Cardinals are sophomores.
"The sky is the limit," Kammerer said. "We have a young team and there is a lot of potential if they work hard in the offseason and get in the weight room and get stronger."
The Cardinals managed five base runners - two hits, one walk and two errors by the Cheesemakers.
"Offensively, I thought we hit the ball better," Kammerer said. "We just hit it right at them. We definitely need consistency. We have to get stronger so when it comes off our bat it's a lot harder hit."
The extra homework paid immediate dividends as Meir pitched a two-hit gem in combination with senior Lucas Neuenschwander to propel Monroe to a 9-0 win over Brodhead-Juda in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday.
"I tinkered with my mechanics and found something that clicked and I went from there," Meir said of his work before the game. "I just wanted to drive more towards the catcher instead of falling off towards third base."
With the win, Monroe (15-12) advances to play at No. 2 seed Beloit Turner at 4:45 p.m. today in a regional semifinal game.
Meir had everything clicking early on. He retired the first six batters he faced and nine of the first 10 hitters. The Cardinals didn't have their first base runner until the third when Skylar Stuckey reached on an error. The only hits for the Cardinals came on Brennan Bescup's single in the fourth and Blake Burns in the sixth.
"We decided to go with Taylor because he pitched very well the other two times against Brodhead," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "He has good enough stuff and his offspeed pitches are much different than his fastball to keep them off-balance. He was in command. He threw a one-hitter at Brodhead earlier this year. The stage was so much different. With this moment, it's probably his best game he has thrown this year."
Brodhead-Juda sophomore Matt Schmidt matched Meir in a pitching duel for two innings. The Cheesemakers got to Schmidt in the bottom of the third scoring three runs.
"In a playoff game, guys know it's win or go home," Huffman said. "You can tell when guys squeeze the bat a little harder and grip the ball harder. To get those three runs you can tell the guys started getting back to what we they had been doing all year."
Monroe senior Carter Adkins singled and stole second to set up the scoring opportunity in the third. Schmidt then walked Monroe senior Chase Hellenbrand. Junior Garrett Gogin followed with an RBI single to score Adkins. Senior teammate Sean Saxby drove in a run with an infield single to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead. Monroe sophomore Hogan Edwards delivered an RBI single down the third-base line to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 3-0.
"Matt did a nice job of keeping us in the game," Brodhead-Juda coach Brian Kammerer said. "He was throwing groundballs. That is what we wanted. We just didn't make the plays behind him and they extended the lead."
Monroe junior Jaron Kuester walked leading off the fourth and then stole second. Schmidt then walked Monroe junior Brent Edmunds. Hellenbrand came through with a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give the Cheesemakers a 5-0 lead. Hellenbrand reached base all four times he batted going 1-for-1 with two RBI, two walks, a hit by pitch, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Both Saxby and Edwards went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Gogin was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
"I feel like that was a big hit in that situation," Hellenbrand said. "I feel like I had to clutch up in that situation."
Schmidt pitched 3 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked four. The Cardinals also used Stuckey and Blake Burns as pitchers in relief. All three pitchers used by the Cardinals are sophomores.
"The sky is the limit," Kammerer said. "We have a young team and there is a lot of potential if they work hard in the offseason and get in the weight room and get stronger."
The Cardinals managed five base runners - two hits, one walk and two errors by the Cheesemakers.
"Offensively, I thought we hit the ball better," Kammerer said. "We just hit it right at them. We definitely need consistency. We have to get stronger so when it comes off our bat it's a lot harder hit."
